You've seen "The Secret" on Oprah. Jerry Adler of Newsweek has written a scathing assesment. Now take a look at the "dark side" of "The Secret" – my assesment.

Really? A Secret?
Not really a big issue, but this understanding has been around for a while – like a few thousand years. The Secret is a basic part of the mystical teachings of Gautama Buddha and Yeshua of Nazareth(Jesus Christ). It's simple to find if you really study.

More recently, this teaching has been popularized by Lynn Grabhorn in her "Excuse Me Your Life Is Waiting" books. Published about 7 years ago. Lynn Grabhorn attributes most of her insights to a channeled being called Abraham. This is not meant to demean this information in any way. Wisdom finds its way into our consciousness in various and mysterious ways. But how do we use this wisdom properly?

The Dark Side!
Check your motivation. When the sages taught this type of practice, their intention was that you understand how the universe works and that you use this knowledge for spiritual maturation and in other wholesome ways. If you look at what most of the present day teachers talked about on Oprah, you will see them emphasising that "You can have what you want". . . or "You can create the life of your dreams". There was a lot of talk about wealth and prosperity, getting good jobs, finding a mate etc.

In contrast to that, Yeshua (Jesus) said: "You must die to yourself daily to enter the kingdom." So, what's wrong with this picture? Basically two things: Balance and emotional maturity. Think about it this way. Would you give your 6 year old child 20 bucks and send him into a candy store? Too much power and too little maturity can lead to disaster. Take a look at some of Hollywood's celebrity train wrecks, or how bout rock & roll stars?

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